Heating device for windshields of motor vehicles



Sept. 19, 1939. R. NIER 2,173,253

HEATING DEVICE FOR WINDSHIELDS OF MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Dec. 2, 1956 ATTORNEY 2 Patented Sept. 19; 1939 UNITED STATES nee-mm psvlcs ron wnmsnmms or moron. vsmcnss Richard Nier, Beierfeld, Ersgebirgc, Germany Application December 2, 1m, sci-n1 m 113,111:

- In Germany Decemberll, 1935 scum.

thereby to heat all or'only a part of the area of the windshield within the sphere of operation of the-heating device, whereby the supply of heat 'can be regulated according to theoutsideteml perature. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a' heating device of this character having pilot lights for visually indicating that the device is opera a,

A further object, of the invention is to provide a heating device comprising a self-contained unit which can be easily attached to the windshield and the batteryof the motor vehicle.

Other objects andadvantag'es of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawing accompanying this specification, mglisarearviewofawinrhhieldofamotor I vehicle having installed thereon a heating device constructed in. accordance with the present invention:

l 'ig.2isanenlargedandhroken awayviewof the heating device showingthe side thereof oppositetothatshowninl'lg.liand 'Fig. 3 isapartial viewthrough the 30 windshield and heating device taken approximatelyonline83ofl"ig. 1.

' Referrlngto the drawing in deta l. the heating devl'ce comprises a frame I-preferably of compressed insulating material and apprordmately rectangular inform and comprising elongated side members and end members connecting. said side members; theframe being of such dimensions as to it to besupported well within the area of t e glass plate" of the windshield,' as Slim in mcrrwmnn the-frar'n'eJI a mounted a glass panel I, said panel being adapted to lie parallel with the Windshield when the Ira-me is supported thereon. The frame is provided at its four corners with. suitable means for retain- T in; rubber-suction cu s c such'as are commonly used for attaching articles to windshieldplates. an additional pair of caps 21 being attached; by means of-suitable holders or claws ll to the oppositesides of the frame 'a at the longitudinal center thereof. The frame is further provided at its opposite ends with housings or receptacles 9 within which are disposed'suitable electric switches II and ll rcspectively,v which switches may be of anisultable type. Pilot 5 lighbl! and ll are also'securedto the'receptacles I in any suitable manner and are in electrical connection with the switches II and II respectively.

Within the frame I are disposed 'a pair of metallic strips 28 and 24 extending along the side walls and partially along the end walls of 5 the frame, a gasket 25 being clamped between said strips and the walls of the frame, said gasket projecting slightly beyond the edges of the strips and frame thereby to form an airtight heating space -be twee n the panel 5 and the glass of the 10 windshield when the frame is in operative posi-' tion on said glass. A metallic crossbar 2| is secured to the strips 23 and II at approximately the longitudinal center of the frame I, thev bent over connecting ends of said-crossbar being indi-, 15 cated at 22, Figs. 2 and- 3. The crossbar thus serves to materially increase the rigidity of the frame, thereby preventing sagging or other distortion of the sides thereof. Disposed within the frame are a plurality of heating wires arrangedinpairs ll, ,18, it and I; I9 extending longitudinally of the frame, each of said wires being connected-at one end thereof to a metallic anchoring strip 20 secured to the opposite end walls of the frame and in. electrical contact with one of the terminals of switches ill,-ll. wires are connected to the crossbar 2|.

- Metallic strip 23 is utilized as a-conductor for respectively to the opposite polesof thebattery.

Inasmuch as the wires l 1', II and I! are connected with the crossbar 2|, which in turn is in (electrical connection with one pole of the battery through the medium of strip 23 and one of the wires, for instance wire 26, of cable I, the cable II need be only a single wire cable, said wire being electrically connected -at one end toone' of the terminals of switch and at its other end to the pole of the battery to which the wire 2'- of cable It is By meansof 1' connections it is possible to switch in either theentire system of "wires or onlythose atone side ortheother of the central crossbar 'II and the corresponding pilot light If or it. It is believed that'the operation of the device 'will'be clear fromthe foregoing description taken The opposite ends of all of the I in connection with the drawing. The device is installed by pressing its suction cups into engagement with the windshield, the vacuum created within the cups being suilicient to sustain the weight of the device. .If the usual battery carried by the vehicle is equipped with any of the well known forms of socket connections the ends of the cables l4 and I5 may be fitted with cooperating male members, so that the connection to the battery may be accomplished by merely plugging the male members into the corresponding sockets in the well known manner. With the device thus installed, if the switches I 0 and H are both turned on, the circuits through all the wires will be closed so that the current will pass through the entire system and thereby heat the the consumption of current is considerably decreased as compared with the current necessarily consumed in heating the entire area of the windshield coextensive with the heating device; It will be understood that as long as the switches remain closed the pilot lights l2 and [3 will be illuminated, thus affording a visible indication that the device is in operation.

It will of course be obvious that, instead of connecting both sets of wires l'l, I8, l9 and I1, l8, l9? to a common connector such as the bar 2|, each set of wires may be connected entirely inde- ;,pendently of the other set. However, such an arrangement would necessarily multiply the num- ,ber of cables and thus complicate the mechanism without any appreciable advantageous result.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a rectangular frame, a glass plate therein, a crossbar connecting the side portions of said frame at approximately the middle of its length, said crossbar being in electrical connection with a source of energy, electrically connected sets 01' 2. A device of the character described, comprising a rectangular frame, a glass plate therein, a metallic crossbar connecting the side portions of said frame at approximately the center of its length, said crossbar forming a conductor, electrically connected sets of heating wires connected at one end to said crossbar and extending longitudinally from said crossbar toward opposite ends of said frame, and means for selectively closing I the circuit through said wires.

3. A. windshield heating device, comprising an approximately rectangular frame, a glass plate therein, a crossbar of metal at approximately the middle of the length of the frame and connected to opposite sides thereof, sets of electrically connected heating elements, each set extending in longitudinal direction from one end of the frame to said crossbar, and each of said sets having means of being switched in independently of the other set;

4. A windshield heating device, comprising an elongated frame, a glass plate therein, a metallic crossbar connected to opposite sides of said frame approximately at the middle of the length of the frame where the crossbar forms a conductor, sets of heating wires electrically connected with one another, which at one end are connected with the crossbar and in longitudinaldirection extend from the crossbar to the opposite ends of the frame, and means by which one or the other set can be selectively switched in.

5. A windshield heating device, comprising a rectangular frame having elongated side members and end members connecting said side members at their ends and a crossbar connected to the side members approximately at the center of their length thereby to impart rigidity to the frame, a glass plate in said frame, sets of heating wires electrically connected with each other, one set being connected at one end with one of the end members of the frame and the other set with the 45 other end member, and means for selectively switching in either of said sets,

RICHARD NIER. 

